Zero: Dead or Alive
by sephiroth12285
Summary: Lelouch has been given an unexpected offer which could provide him with more than enough funds and resources to begin his campaign to topple his father's Empire, but as with any deal there is a catch and Lelouch must enter the First Dead or Alive Tournament to eliminate a dangerous foe. Leading to an unexpected chain of events Lelouch could not have foreseen, better summary inside
1. Chapter 1 From Nothing I Arise

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Dead or Alive or any of their related series or works otherwise I wouldn't be doing fanfiction.

A/N: Special thanks to AnubisGundam0 for doing beta work and proofreading of this chapter as well as ideas and suggestions for this crossover. I'll save the rest of the author note for the end of the chapter where I'll explain some details about the story and planned pairings so far, but this story will not involve a harem of any kind for Lelouch.

* * *

Summary: Lelouch has been given an unexpected offer which could provide him with more than enough funds and resources to begin his campaign to topple his father's Empire, but as with any deal there is a catch and Lelouch must enter the First Dead or Alive Tournament to eliminate a dangerous foe. Yet this is only the start of an unexpected chain of events Lelouch could not have foreseen.

For five years he spent time within a hidden village inhabited by formidable shinobi he was secretly trained by one of their own against their wishes and must apply that training, but will it be enough for the trials that will lie ahead for Lelouch?

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **From Nothing I Arise**

(March 10 2017 A.T.B.)

It was pass midnight around the Port of Yokohama in Tokyo Bay where shipping containers were being off loaded filled with illegal goods including narcotics to be sold on the streets after the contents were organized and disturbed to various dealers around Area 11, the country that had been once Japan. It was seven years ago that the Holy Britannian Empire declared war on the small island nation of Japan, defeating it only after a single month of fighting.

Officially the war had ended when Japan's last Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi committed suicide in order to stop the military when they called for a do or die resistance, however there were rumors questioning that claim as some realized that if the Europia United and Chinese Federation got involved the resulting three-way war could have destroyed Japan in the crossfire with the other superpowers getting involved solely for the sake of Japan's Sakuradite Mines as it provided seventy percent of the world's total supply.

This was avoided thanks to the well planned political maneuvering following the end of the war with Japan, and Britannia chose one of the world's most wealth industrialists, Fame Douglas, who was the CEO of Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee (DOATEC) which made its wealth as a international weapons research and development company. It had its hand in other business ventures as well including international transport and infrastructure and more thanks to its various subsidiaries under it. Despite mixed relations between the counties of the world, Fame was able to successfully run his business and make deals with all three superpowers while maintaining a stance on neutrality among the nations which his companies in the nations of the three different superpowers could develop and research weapons for their home country they were established in and could not share said research with other countries while it sold general arms to everyone else to avoid alienating its business partners and customers in said country.

It was extremely difficult especially given the fact Britannia and the Europia United have been locked in conflict for years, but Fame's company has at times acted as a neutral third party in-between them helping with negotiating between the two countries usually for prisoner exchanges and rarely cease-fires with individual member nations of the EU.

Due to this and the fact Fame Douglas had connections to many influential individuals and leaders within the three superpowers he was chosen to ensure even distribution of Sakuradite from Japan on Britannia's behalf and even offered them a little more than Japan had done in the past to pacify the remaining two superpowers into seeking to liberate the Sakuradite Mines from Britannia.

Thanks to this DOATEC gained more influence and wealth thanks to this arrangement, but there were some within the company's higher ranks that believed a different approach to their business was needed.

Now seven years into Britannia's conquest of the island nation its new occupational government due to its encouraged policy of discrimination against non-Britannians opened the door for criminals to take advantage of such a policy where the police were only concerned generally for the welfare of Britannians, rather than the natives not born Britannian.

* * *

The drug dealers on the harbor operated with that in mind, selling most of their product to the local populace which had been renamed 'Elevens' instead of Japanese as a shameful title of their defeat.

"Alright people let's get the stuff to Kyoto so we can get it distributed." One of the men ordered. He was a bald headed man wearing a heavy blue jacket with jeans and blue button up shirt underneath. "Come on let's move it we don't have all night."

"What are you so worried about? The cops don't bother us here!"

As the men began chattering amongst one another, a man, another thug in their employ, was bringing out the last box containing their smuggled product out of a shipping container when suddenly someone or something attacked him. He barely had a chance to call out for help, but the sound of glass shattering from within the box he dropped drew the attention of his fellow criminals.

"Hey Stan!"

There was no response as two of the twenty man crew went to investigate what happened to Stan.

They stopped at the box full of broken glass, but they found no sign of their missing companion.

"Where the fuck are you Stan?"

"You better not be fucking around again?" Another man called out, but after turning around he saw his companion who had been walking with him was gone.

"What the fuck," The man said beginning to panic, but as he rushed by another shipping container to rejoin his compatriots a black gloved fist backhanded him in the face knocking him out.

Seventeen men were left and no one realized three of their own had vanished. Watching them from atop a stack of shipping containers near the end of the harbor was a man wearing black with a cape and a black spiky mask. The wearer was impressed by his new suit as it fit him so perfectly it felt like a second skin. He had been trying for some time to find body armor he could wear, but nothing even compared to the customized body armor he was wearing now that afforded him better durability than ordinary armor and kevlar body armor.

Even the mask he wore while appearing polished and faceless on the surface concealed an array of devices and gadgets integrated within. His view of the criminals was magnified through his mask allowing him to see them clearly at a distance as if he was standing only five feet away and directional microphone built into his mask allowed him to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Come on keep it moving, I want us out of here within the hour." The leader of the narcotics smugglers ordered having not noticed three of his men were missing.

Under the mask the young seventeen year old smiled, but his satisfaction went far deeper. For Lelouch vi Britannia it felt good to be the predator instead of a weak and helpless child he used to be.

 _This suit is amazing…I can move so freely and easily, but yet it has more protection than any typical body armor._

Lelouch couldn't help, but be amazed at his new outfit which not only served to hide his identity but it allowed for him to create an intimidating persona. His armor was state of the art provided to him by an unexpected ally despite his initial reservations, but after testing out the new armor the young man could help but feel very pleased with the results. His armor used a variety of new technologies in its construction and in the gadgets and weapons he carried on his belt.

Taking advantage of the criminals being unaware of his presence, he used this opportunity as a way to field test out his new armor and weapons, it also made it easier that Lelouch had strong disdain of drug dealers.

Unhooking what appeared to be a small boxed shaped metallic object from his belt on his left side near his back, Lelouch depressed a button on the side of the case and the spring loaded mechanism unfolded it into an odd-shaped rifle with a long barrel and a pump-action like trigger with a countdown timer and small knobs to adjust the time. Lelouch set the timer to one minute and twenty seconds before taking aim with the gun. Using his mask's magnification feature to confirm his hits he fired specialized rounds that upon impact released a sticky highly explosive substance that adhered to any surface. The rear of the bullet that housed a timer and detonator that was synchronized with the other bombs Lelouch fired from the gun, an infrared light visible only through his visor indicating that it was armed.

He planted two bombs on the semi-truck being loaded with the drugs, landing one on the gas tank and one on the left open container door in the rear. Then he planted another two on the boxes of cargo they were still offloading but chose boxes they would not reach for at least a minute or two and then finally he landed three more on the overhead lamps providing lighting for most of the area.

* * *

 _"_ _A ninja understands that invisibility is a matter of patience and agility._ _"_

Lelouch recalled the lecture of the man who trained him, denying the wishes of the ninja clan he belonged to. As Lelouch stealthily descended from his perch to get closer to the men before the bombs went off within the next minute and twenty seconds he found himself recalling the lessons of the man who was part of a special sect of the village he and his younger sister spent five years at until the newly christened Area 11 was more hospitable for them, before reinserting them back into society under the care of his mother's old allies would be easier.

Unlike his time spent at Kururugi Shrine when he lived under the care of Genbu Kururugi, his time at the hidden village he was smuggled to for safe keeping until it was right for Lelouch to rejoin society, while steps were ensured to keep him from knowing where he was and how to get back. His sister's treatment was much kinder and better in comparison as many in the village felt that any ill treatment for a crippled young girl was dishonorable, but Lelouch on the other hand.

He wasn't beaten almost every day by local children like before, but he wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms given that he was a mouthy exiled prince of the country that just conquered theirs.

Soon after he met the man who would become his instructor found Lelouch attempting late night physical training having realized his physical limitations and if he wanted to fulfill the vow he made when he and the first friend he made separated.

"You are so frail, but yet your rage fuels your desire for power doesn't it?"

An eleven year old Lelouch looked over his shoulder at a man in his late forties, with his hair beginning to turn gray wearing a wooden mask and wore dark clothing including an embroidered dark haori which was a sign of his status as a ninja master.

Lelouch said nothing, but he eyed the masked man with distrust and yet the rage was clearly seen in his eyes.

"They believe you are dangerous, but you are hardly so when you're so weak."

"What of it?" Lelouch spat bitterly before his bruised and bloody fists tightened in growing anger, his blood boiling. "I want…I vow to annihilate Britannia for what that man did to me and Nunnally, including allowing my mother to die!"

"The Britannian Emperor, I see…he sent you here to die so that when the invasion takes place the death of a royal family member is sure to provide good motivation for their troops." The masked shinobi's calculating gaze locked eyes with Lelouch briefly before saying. "I can offer you a chance to become someone who can fight an army and become invisible to your enemies, to strike from the shadows like a ghost. Not to mention that is but a taste of what I can offer you, but only if your body becomes stronger."

"Isn't it against the laws of your village to train an outsider?"

"It is, but given that you will be staying in the village for awhile under our protection, you will have plenty of time on your hands. Exercise and training to better your body, they will not mind, so do so until you show me you have the strength of body needed and perhaps I'll train you as a ninja who will not be bound by any code, or laws because you are an outsider."

"I see so you are exploiting a loophole, and because your clan has decided not to act against the Britannian occupation, which I know there are people not happy about it." Lelouch said as he wiped blood away from his lip. "Knowing I'll take revenge on Britannia, but I lack the strength to make it happen, you wish for me to do it."

"Yes, but be warned boy I will not be gentle in your training, and if you cry out in pain then I'll only push you harder."

Lelouch considered his choices for a moment, although he didn't doubt that the masked man before him had other motives for training him, their mutual desire to see Britannia fall united them. He gazed down at his bloodied hands which were the result of punching a log in frustration earlier due to the cold realization that his frail body would make it unlikely he could do much other than possibly command a rebellion from the rear, his formidable mind his only asset, even so…

"I accept…"

* * *

 _Tonight I'll find out if the hell I endured was worth it._

A second later the bombs went off causing chaos, blowing up the truck and most of the drugs the pressure wave knocking some of the thugs backwards before they realized what happened. To add to the confusion, Lelouch had beforehand tossed smoke bombs into the air landing and detonating a second after the sticky bombs went off blanketing the area in a cloud of smoke. His mask was equipped with specialized vision enhancements and sensors such as light amplification, ultraviolet and infrared vision Lelouch didn't require them to deal with this lot, lost in the smoke cloud.

His training enabled him to enhance his natural senses greatly beyond their normal range enabling, him to easily locate the seventeen men within the smoke cloud before skillfully and quickly using hand-to-hand combat techniques to dispatch them. He withdrew a shuriken from his belt with his free hand before hurling it at one of the men lost in the smoke cloud cutting into his throat and embedding itself there. Using one of the men as a human shield as another of the drug smugglers fired their gun into the smoke in the direction of the sound.

The drug dealer had only succeeded in killing one of his own allowing Lelouch to slip away back into the cloud of smoke attacking like a phantom from beyond.

When the smoke finally cleared all of the drug smugglers were on the ground dead with their necks having been snapped or stabbed in the throat with a throwing knife or shuriken, or there were cases where Lelouch used their panic to trick them into gunning down their own.

Lelouch was gone by the time the smoke cleared disappearing like a phantom into the night, but this was thanks to a Ninpo (ninja arts) technique he had picked up during his training after his body had become strong enough for the promised training. It was a fairly common technique among shinobi of the hidden villages, but it was one of his particular favorites.

The young man was running through the night keeping to the shadows of the various warehouses along the water front and avoiding the street lamps and lights being emitted by the nearby buildings. The former prince of Britannia felt quite pleased with himself. Even though those criminals were lowly thugs who deserved what Lelouch did to them and not much of a challenge for him in terms of combat skill, but they were successful in helping him test his new armor and putting it through its paces.

 _It was so easy…the old me wasn't capable of this._

With his frail body he had no chance of pulling off what he did tonight, but thanks to the pain he endured during the training to strengthen his body before being secretly trained in the village's ninjutsu arts he was capable of much more.

I am still lacking two things though…

His teacher had driven that point home with tales of a growing prodigy in the Hayabusa Clan, an allied ninja clan of the village Lelouch was hiding in, referring to him as the strongest ninja their clan had produced, possibly surpassing the village's own intended heir.

The other ninpo techniques he was told about including powerful ones exclusive to certain ninja families and clans further clarified this for the former prince.

Of course that is assuming he would fight fairly.

Being that he was wasn't raised as a ninja and was taught only combat skills and ninpo techniques Lelouch was not bound by the usual ninja laws and codes as least as far as his mentor was concerned.

Even with his skills and stronger body, Lelouch was hardly capable of bringing down his father's own Empire, an Empire that controlled one-third of the entire world, not without resources and manpower. In fact when he attempted to create his own combat outfit to compliment his needs to hide his identity and to give him some protection during a fight he used his winnings from underground chess matches to obtain what he needed. However obtaining some of the components he wanted for his originally intended combat uniform was surprisingly more difficult and couldn't be done without raising suspicion.

Until he was visited by the most unlikely person imaginable with an offer Lelouch couldn't refuse. He questioned his motives knowing there was something else despite his claims, but knowing it could possibly take years for him to amass the needed resources on his own, he accepted.

Reaching the edge of the harbor and being a safe distance away from where the drug smugglers location, Lelouch leapt off of the top of the warehouse facing the ocean using his cape to guide over the water until he landed on a black aerodynamic object that had been hovering a few inches off the water. To passing casual observer there was nothing out there except for the city lights along the shore of the Tokyo Bay.

Lelouch's mask outlined a customized aircraft that was a prototype aircraft using new technology being developed by the Holy Britannian Empire dubbed a FLOAT system to allow anti-gravity capabilities and flight. It was only a prototype possessing a miniaturized version of the system which his sponsor had obtained to test on the repurposed prototype he was using, including constructed with advanced stealth systems. It had a fifty feet wing span which could fold into different configurations for landing or for hovering stationary attack mode using its arsenal of weapons.

It was thirty feet in length and was designed to be operated by one person, but it could carry a second passenger in a seat behind the pilot.

Once inside the cockpit the canopy window slid shut, sealing Lelouch inside as the windows were polarized, but he could see everything around him just fine as the cockpit could use display images from a variety of sensors like his mask to illuminate the world in different ways for him. The cockpit canopy was made of a transparent ceramic polymer making it quite durable designed able to withstand punishment especially when the plane was in operation.

It was armored with plates of black armor and designed as experimental test bed to develop new Stealth Planes that could use FLOAT technology among testing other functionaries such planes could serve if they go beyond the prototype stage.

Lelouch took control of the plane as a wireless connection between his mask and the plane's computer displayed the cockpit's HUD directly on his visor. The cockpit possessed dashboard diagnostics including the usual features including an advance sensory package including infrared, radar and sonar (when converted to submersible mode). It had navigation and communication systems and features needed for the craft's second mode of transportation.

Flying across the bay at a low altitude Lelouch switched the craft over to its secondary mode which was a submersible mode as it dove into the water heading for the bottom. The engines switched over to underwater propulsion hydro jets driven by centrifugal pumps, while its engines and exhaust for flight were sealed by watertight covers and slides that locked into place to prevent them from being flooded by salt-water.

The wings altered their configuration to compensate and allow for better maneuverability underwater as Lelouch steered the plane through the murky depths of the waters of Tokyo Bay.

 _And to think this craft is capable of remote control and autonomous functionality._ Lelouch mused.

The prototype craft had an onboard AI system and it could be controlled remotely by Lelouch to either summon the plane to his location or to carry out certain actions for him. Such a feature Lelouch knew would come in handy and it was being intended to use as an escape craft.

Because for all of the weapons and gear he was being given there was a catch as expected.

The plane began traveling through a hidden underwater tunnel that led Lelouch under the city of Tokyo, as he was heading for an underground hanger that had been secretly prepared for his new mode of transportation. It was quite a distance from the harbor, but its twisting maze-like passageways would make it very difficult for anyone else to use. Emerging from the water at the end Lelouch surfaced the plane out of the water as he switched back to flight mode and hovering above a large circular platform before landing it on.

As the engine shut down Lelouch was approached by a man in a gray business suit and red tie. He was a dark-skinned, middle-aged man with board shoulders. His black hair was short, combed back, and was graying in strips along the side of his head. He also sports a neatly-trimmed beard and dark eyes.

As Lelouch disembarked the plane the older man asked with a smile on his face. "So what do you think?"

"The suit and plane operated as you said they would." Lelouch said to his sponsor as he removed his mask before using a free hand to pull down on the black material that covered the lower half of his head. He shook his head to help his black hair flow more freely as his amethyst eyes met with those of the man before him. "My only complaint is the Sticky Gun Grenade which I am concerned could become a problem later so I'll use the spike and magnetic grenades you offered instead."

"Well there was a reason the Sticky Gun Grenade was shelved, but that armor you are wearing is one of a kind made for you alone."

"Maybe, but you did use some technologies that had been shelved for this suit." Lelouch said using his right hand to lift up his cape as if to prove a point.

Lelouch was referring to the black memory cloth cape he wore which was developed by DOATEC. For unknown reasons it had been shelved and never utilized. At first glance, it looked like a simple, flexible fabric like nylon on the outer layer, similar to a parachute, but when an electric current was applied through the black gloves of Lelouch's suit, the loose molecules realigned and become rigid, which allowed him to glide over long distances, additionally the material was water and fireproof.

The belt Lelouch wore was based off of a modified climbing harness for military commandos with the shoulder straps removed, but its metallic magnetized impact-resistant pouches, and canisters attached to the belt at ergonomic points for ease of reach was useful allowing Lelouch to carry a wide range of different weapons and tools.

Everything else was original having been produced by new technologies and preexisting ones, which was possible thanks to Fame Douglas using his considerable resources to make it possible.

"Well its all the more reason you have been going out there and using those criminals for punching bags right?" Fame replied with a cheerful demeanor as he was overall pleased with the success of the plane and the effectiveness of the suit Lelouch was using. "Hell even those men could get a shot off on you it would have bounced off since that can withstand up to a fifty caliber shot."

"I won't have to worry about conventional weapons that much is certain, but the people I'll be facing are anything but conventional."

"True, but the Dead or Alive Tournament will be unlike anything seen before." Fame expressed proudly as the pride in his voice was evident.

"But if what you fear happens?" Lelouch asked causing Fame's expression to turn serious.

"Then you'll have what I promised you as a fail-safe. I hope it won't be necessary, but with everything I have been hearing about, I am concerned my days are counting down."

"I understand," The former prince said although his thoughts were active taking everything he had learned about into account.

Its chief scientist and leader of DOATEC's private army and weapon development projects had been gaining favor with the Britannian Emperor, granting him a growing influence in the royal court, which could only be a prelude to trouble ahead.

Victor Donovan was the name of the man of whom despite being a highly capable and renowned scientist specializing in a wide range of fields with genetic engineering and cloning being a preferred favorite of science for the man. Publically Lelouch had heard little, but he had learned much about the man from Fame Douglas, about the man who had been proposing human experiments to create potent biological weapons out of formidable humans.

Fame Douglas had shot down the idea of course, but over the years his power and influence has begun to slowly wane, specifically within the Britannian Royal Courts as Donovan has been growing more popular with the Emperor and members of the royal family.

 _Just what kind of projects was he proposing?_ Lelouch wondered.

If Lelouch wanted to bring about Britannia's destruction then these weapon projects could not be allowed to come to pass. Even though Fame would not elaborate on certain details, but if one considered the fact he was willing to provide advance weapons and gear to a young man clearly dedicated to the destruction of the Britannian Empire, then the situation must be even worse than what Lelouch could even imagine. The situation must be dire indeed for Fame Douglas to turn his attention to said young man, but he lacks the manpower to launch a rebellion to topple an Empire.

Not yet at least…

"I'll leave for the Freedom Survivor tomorrow morning via the private helicopter you arranged for me at the airport?" Lelouch clarified, as part of their arrangement was that he would take part in the tournament under the code name: Zero.

Winning the tournament wasn't his objective even though the prize money would help him greatly, but he was to ensure one person in particular died by the end of the tournament regardless of the victor. The man in question was named Raidou, a degenerate ninja who hailed from the same hidden shinobi village Lelouch and Nunnally spent five years at.

 _I am not exactly thrilled about becoming a contract killer, but Raidou…he deserves death._

During his time at the hidden Mugen Tenshin Village the former prince had heard about Raidou and the reputation he had created within his own village before he was exiled. He had heard his fair share of unsettling stories, but one of them resulted in a friend he made in the village to endure a harsh life as an outcast.

 _I'll ensure he dies screaming for his crimes, but if his death will help further my goals then I'll gladly ensure his demise._

"I've prepared a special room for you on the ship so you can take off that mask safely, but use the special tools I have left you to ensure no one planted any bugs or cameras to get a look at you." Fame replied as Lelouch was familiar with the briefcase he had been given a few days ago. "The Shadow Hawk will be remotely piloted to a safe location off the shore of the island where the final rounds of the tournament will take place to give you a means for a quick escape."

"Right and the remote I am carrying will allow me to summon it to my location."

"That's correct, but if I end up assassinated then the navigation computer on your craft will direct you to the cache I prepared for you."

"If I can prevent it then I'll do it, so I wouldn't assume the worse yet. Still from what you have told me I don't blame you for preparing for the worst." Lelouch said as he thought Fame's preparations in the event if he was assassinated might seem like he is giving up on the thought of surviving, but without knowing who will attempt to kill him it was best to prepare for the worse as a precaution.

Not to mention it set the stage for Fame Douglas to get revenge on his enemies from beyond the grave through Lelouch.

"Thank you…I only wish I could have done more for you since your mother did save my life. She was one hell of a woman." Fame Douglas complimented as he fondly recalled a memory of meeting Lelouch's mother some years ago when she was known famously as Marianne the Flash one of Britannia's most legendary Knights of the Round members before she became consort to the Emperor Charles zi Britannia.

"I appreciate everything you have done for me so far, and I am sure my mother would be satisfied as well all things considered."

The former prince had found out when Fame Douglas approached him that it had been he who had arranged for his protection within the Mugen Tenshin Village through the Kyoto Group and the Ashford Foundation as he made some deals with the two groups in exchange for ensuring Lelouch and Nunnally survived with their deaths faked preventing them from becoming victims of royal ambition.

They had been sent to Japan to die after all since the demise of a prince and princess of Britannia would have served the Empire best, but Fame had intervened secretly on their behalf.

"If what you fear happens and they assassinate you. Then know I will hunt down and eliminate everyone involved and then I'll remake this world into a better one." Lelouch said with determination in his voice as he looked down at the polished black surface of his mask.

The world will soon know of Zero.

* * *

A/N: Ok first off Lelouch did receive training from Genra in the arts of ninjutsu of the Mugen Tenshin (Hajinmon) style ninjutsu, but he was taught elements of the Tenjinmon style of Mugen Tenshin to make it difficult for anyone from the village to easily determine who trained him.

This was done so he could survive the coming conflict and take a much more active role in the story.

I had originally set it up to where Lelouch would have sponsored Kasumi's entrance into the tournament to kill Raidou for his suspicious involvement in his mother's murder. But I wasn't able to develop a proper story from it and after some talk with some friends it became this version. His armor his high tech due to taking some serious measures to protect his identity but given the opposition Lelouch will facing (more than just mere humans and some fighters possessing superhuman abilities) and the fact due to the fact most of his shinobi training had to be done in secret hindered the development of his skills somewhat.

The suit is also designed to compensate for any shortcomings including adding some more power behind his blows since he isn't as physically powerful as some of the Dead or Alive's heavy hitters and is more of a fast and evasive fighter relying more on speed than strength and using tools, weapons and deceptions to win.

That and in order to protect his identity he'll need to be careful about who he fights because if anyone can recognize the style of combat he uses it could be used to figure out his identity.

Now for pairings I was planning to pair Lelouch with Ayane, but after talking to AnubisGundam0 about it I decided to let events of the story play out and cement the pairing choice later to ensure the best choice is chosen. Kasumi was intended originally to be paired with Lelouch, but I was concerned their personalities might not mesh well together compared to Ayane. So it will be between Ayane or Kasumi with only one of them who will win Lelouch, which could end up fueling the animosity between them as well.

On my profile page I am doing a poll where I am going to let you guys pick who Lelouch will face first.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the next one will elaborate more on Lelouch's time at the Mugen Tenshin Village. He spent five years there after Japan fell before the tournament begins to offer some insight on his relations on characters like Hayate, Ayane and Kasumi.


	2. Chapter 2 The Hidden Village

A/N: once again thanks to AnubisGundam0 for editing and proofreading the chapter as it helps a lot and hopefully makes my story much better to read.

Of course thank you guys for the reviews and the favorites/alerts as they are good signs that you folks are interested in how the story goes.

Ayane and Lelouch still have high chances to become a couple, but as mentioned in the first chapter I am going to wait at the recommendation of AnubisGundam0 until later to ensure conditions remain favorable. You guys will see one of my reasons why I say that in the coming chapters, but I'll say nothing further to avoid spoilers.

Next chapter I am involving another Code Geass character in the tournament as well, which should fit well with his back-story that was expanded upon in the novels.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Hidden Village**

The following morning Lelouch was sitting quietly in the back of a DOATEC black painted VTOL transport that was flying him across the Pacific Ocean towards an ocean liner created by and used as a mobile headquarters of DOATEC. The Freedom Survivor was currently the world's largest luxury cruise ship being an impressive fifteen hundred feet in length painted white and blue making it a literal mobile floating city.

Lelouch had slept a few hours before they arrived at the ship, still wearing his Zero armor and carrying the briefcase along with a few tools and weapons. The masked man was quiet, only speaking when needed, the pilot and crew had being given strict orders to bring him to the ship on their CEO's orders with no further questioned asked.

Even so the former prince was quite relaxed in his new armor and mask, thanks to its first layer including temperature regulators which monitored a series of sensors throughout his suit and automatically maintained a comfortable temperature for its wearer. Even if Lelouch went for a stroll in a desert or the coldest arctic wasteland, the regulators in his suit would adjust accordingly enabling him to wear his suit and mask comfortably for extensively long periods at a time no matter the environment.

The armor Lelouch wore was composed primarily of two layers, but sandwiched between the two was a new invention created at DOATEC called Magnetorheological-Fluid based liquid armor system. The proprietary Smart MR-fluid hardened in response to impacts, specifically designed to provide superior shock absorption, as well as enabling greater force delivery behind counterattacks. The liquid body armor layer is also more flexible than the ceramic or fiber-based alternatives used in combat suits and body armor, allowing for greater maneuverability.

Lelouch's suit was capable of withstanding up to six gees of forces which was useful if he wanted to launch himself through the air for quick escapes if needed.

The first layer of Lelouch's armor besides possessing temperature regulators was a body suit made of a titanium-dipped tri-weave kevlar fiber mesh that was heavily insulated against electricity as well as providing protection against chemical and radiation hazards. It also had an extended collar that could be pulled up over the lower half of Lelouch's head as part of an air-tight seal that forms between the body suit and his mask.

The second layer was a kevlar-titanium tri-weave mesh that included ultra-strong micro hardened kevlar plating along the limbs, while segmented plates of black polished titanium plating protected Lelouch's torso to create an extremely durable combat suit, making it highly resistant to knives and firearms up to a fifty caliber, as well as being fireproof. The suit also had special brace to protect Lelouch's spine from serious injury. Most important of all, the entire suit was designed to be extremely flexible without hindering Lelouch's agility and movements and to enhance his stealth capabilities his entire suit was coated with a black latex-like material that dampened his heat signature making him more difficult to detect with night vision and heat detection equipment.

 _It's simply amazing how well this suit fits and how I can barely feel its weight._

Unsurprisingly the entire suit cost five hundred grand, but Lelouch had spares handy because all of its durability had its limits.

With nothing to do or say until he arrived, Lelouch's mind began to wander as thoughts of Raidou led him to remember the first day he and his sister were brought to the village of the Mugen Tenshin Clan.

* * *

October 25th 2010 A.T.B.

A ten year old Lelouch slowly opened his eyes as the drug wore off; he had taken it prior to their trip to the village, to protect its location from the outside world. He awoke to find himself asleep on a futon that sat atop of a straw tatami mat, nearby laid his seven year old sister Nunnally on her own futon.

Feeling a little dizzy as Lelouch slowly sat up, he noticed a man wearing a white and gray robe, despite the man's grey hair he presented himself as a strong and healthy man with dark grey eyes.

"Welcome young man, to our village." Shiden, the seventeenth leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan, greeted.

"Thank you," Lelouch said speaking in Japanese having learned the language during his time at the Kururugi Household, and finished his study in the language before going to the village since virtually the entirety of its inhabitants spoke it. He had been warned about the village he would be staying in as they would do whatever was needed to keep its existence a secret.

With this knowledge he knew he and his sister would be safe, but they were taking a risk by accepting Nunnally and himself here. Not to mention his time with the son of Japan's last Prime Minister had softened Lelouch a little so he wasn't as openly distrustful as others, which was helped by the fact he was being hidden in a secret village inhabited by formidable ninjas who were capable of superhuman feats.

Lelouch wasn't entirely convinced about that last part, but he had already settled on being a little more open since they had just as much to lose as he did if word about him or them got out.

"Not that I am ungrateful for the protection you are providing us with Shiden-sama, but aren't you risking a lot for your village by keeping us here?"

Shiden was slightly surprised by Lelouch's use of honorifics, but he knew that Lelouch had prepared himself before going to Japan by learning the language before arriving and during his time at the Kururugi Estate. He didn't know that this was part of Lelouch's effort to be self-sufficient as he was very distrusting of the Kururugi Household insisting on providing for his sister himself, so learning the language had been necessary in order to go out and purchase needed supplies from the local stores once he had access to some currency.

His efforts to shop for his own supplies on his own had resulted in him being beaten up on a daily basis by the local boys until Suzaku Kururugi had intervened more on his behalf despite their initially hostile introduction.

"With the conquest of Japan by the Holy Britannian Empire, there is a danger of our village being discovered, but thanks to arrangements made between the Ashford Family and Taizō Kirihara. Special Measures are being put in place to not only secure the safety of this village, but protect it against accidental discovery." Shiden explained, but there was more to the arrangement than he knew.

Over the next seven years Lelouch would discover that it had been DOATEC under Fame Douglas' orders for rendering the areas containing the hidden ninja villages as protected and restricted sites to protect them from discovery by the Britannian Colonial authorities.

"I see, and I assume the villages didn't get involved in the fighting because if the Chinese Federation and the Europia United got involved it would have been the three superpowers fighting for control of the Sakuradite Mines rather than Japan's independence which would have resulted in the country being torn in three destroying it over the course a of prolonged conflict."

The leader of the village nodded his head in confirmation, although it had not been an easy decision. His village and its inhabitants rarely involved themselves in the affairs of the modern world, usually lending aid to allies of the village and situations where the risk of their existence being revealed was low. He and Kirihara had discussed between the two of them about the war between Japan and Britannia after the treachery from the highest position of their government had made open war with the superpower inevitable.

It was a war they knew they could not win, and if the other superpowers got involved then Japan would have been destroyed in the crossfire between them.

Many feared if Britannia took over the country that it was only a matter of time before their villages were discovered, so when Shiden declared their village would not involve itself in Japan's defense it was poorly received. As expected many were not happy with the decision, but Shiden knew and the other leaders of the clans agreed with him knowing even if they got involved it wouldn't have changed the outcome. It just would have made matters worse, especially since even with their involvement they couldn't help Japan repel an invasion force of such scale as having far outnumbered and had superior military technology.

The introduction of Knightmare Frames merely shortened the ground battles, but before their introduction Japan had lost control of the seas and skies very quickly due to sheer numbers and possessing overwhelming material and resources to fuel their war machine.

"I am glad a young man your age understands, as that sentiment will not be shared by many in this village."

"All things considered I can't blame them."

Shiden nodded his head, "No, I suppose we cannot."

"Also I take it that I should avoid going into the village itself as much as possible?" Lelouch asked realizing the second purpose behind the conversation.

"You are quite observant."

"After what happened before I was sent to Japan, I learned the hard way that I better be mindful of the people around me, so I that know whom to trust and who to be wary of."

"I heard of what happened, and frankly I don't blame you."

Shiden knew about the Holy Britannian Empire like anyone else did, and he had especially heard about the events surrounding Lelouch and the royal family. Born from the defeated remnants of the British Empire after losing to Napoleon following his invasion of the British Isles, it would grow and take root within the American Colonies after the American Revolution had ended in victory for newly risen Britannian Empire.

The populace, especially its royal family would adopt the ideas of Social Darwinism justifying their action as survival of the fittest, the oldest rule of nature and one that even the Britannian Royal Family would be held to when deciding the successor to the throne. Thus members of the royal family would occasionally meet their end by assassination from other members of the royal family, or from the families of Britannia's nobility which would support a member of the royal family in the hopes it would mean higher status, titles and more wealth for said family upon their appointed successors' enthronement.

The death of Lelouch and Nunnally's mother was not the first time a consort of the Emperor had being killed and unlikely to be the last if the Empire continued as it had being.

"That being said I would strongly advise you stay within the grounds of our home."

"To prevent anyone from seeking to kill me and my sister I assume?"

"I doubt they would do something so foolish, but given the resentment they hold for Britannia…"

"I understand…" Lelouch said as it bothered him that he and Nunnally would have to stay in the mansion of the clan leader, but he did understand the necessity of the precautions he was taking and why. On the plus side their accommodations were much better than those they had at the Kururugi Estate.

He didn't like it, but he had little choice considering the alternatives, and the risks of being found by the Britannian Military and returned to the homeland where he would face dying as a pawn of the Emperor, whose death would only be convenient to him. He had being so angry when he and his sister arrived in Japan, so for the sake of his oath and his sister he would accept their new arrangements…for now.

"Hello I am Kasumi!"

Lelouch was startled when a newcomer appeared at his bedside, which the former prince had failed to notice her presence until she had spoken, more noticeably she addressed him in his language instead of her native Japanese. The ten year old boy was trying to figure out how she pulled that off without him noticing, but no matter what he could come up with there was no answer.

Kasumi was the same age as he was, but as expected of a girl training to become a Kunoichi she was dressed in a pink shinobi suit, dark-pink boots, chain-mesh under her shirt, and a sash around her waist. The ten year old girl had a round face, small facial features, and amber eyes. Her copper-colored hair – an uncommon sight in Japan – is worn in a ponytail.

Recovering his composure from her sudden appearance, the former prince introduced himself to the girl, "Hello I am Lelouch."

 _I guess some of the people here were taught Britannian just like how Suzaku knew the language too._ Lelouch thought as it would make it easier for Nunnally to speak to another girl.

* * *

Returning to the present Lelouch was shaken out from his daydream when an alert informed him that the VTOL transport was approaching the cruise ship. The former prince readied himself to disembark as he intended to quickly make his way to his secure cabin where he would reside until the ship arrived at the island before he could exit it without drawing too much attention to himself.

He was annoyed at being secluded inside his cabin for the majority of the cruise, but really who was he going to talk to anyway.

Aside from the contestants, most of the people here were likely self-absorbed and arrogant parasites from Britannia's nobility, as well as many wealthy industrialists from other parts of the globe...a real snake pit no doubt.

Disembarking from the VTOL he strode purposefully across the helipad, unfortunately before he could make his way off the pad and into the lower levels of the ship to reach his cabin, someone approached from the hatch leading into the ship. As the woman sauntered across the pad with feline grace, he observed her appearance; she appeared to be in her mid-twenties with medium length white hair and steel gray eyes complete with a pale skin complexion, wearing a red turtleneck coat-like top with black form-fitting pants and matching black stylish boots.

She was highly attractive with a bewitchingly voluptuous figure that would leave many a man dumbstruck, even Lelouch was initially affected. Something in his posture must of gave him away as she smiled at him as if she knew he was checking her out, however her eyes reflected a cold amusement. The sight broke him out of his stupor and he was quickly on guard.

 _No one was supposed to be here._

"So you're Mr. Douglas' choice." Christie said in sultry tones as she eyed him trying to take in the young man's measure and examine his outfit. "Nice outfit you have there... looks expensive."

 _I have never seen anyone wear such armor...so this is what our dear CEO has been up to._ The white haired British woman thought, but without removing his mask there wasn't much else she could find out. "I wonder who you are." She mused out loud.

"If he wanted you to know that," Lelouch retorted as his mask's modulated his voice electronically giving it a deep metallic echo, "I wouldn't be wearing this mask, but if you insist you may call me Zero."

"Really, so are you some kind of superhero?" She teased.

"Hardly, but who are you, and what is your purpose here? I was informed by Mr. Douglas that no one would meet me until we arrived at the island for the tournament." Lelouch demanded knowing this woman was here for something besides a causal chat, but with that in mind he readied himself for a fight.

"You can call me Christie," She purred. "And I'm afraid something different was planned for you." Christie rushed Lelouch with her right hand extended prepared to strike at his throat, having anticipated an attack Lelouch let go of his briefcase and skillfully side stepped her.

Lelouch knocked the woman's feet out from under her with a low sweeping kick, but the white haired woman was quick to recover by using her hands to turn what should have been a fall into a back flip landing back on her feet.

No more words were exchanged as a battle erupted between the two with Lelouch deflecting her sinuous hand strikes aimed at his joints and other weak points as a fierce barrage of hand to hand strikes were being rapidly exchanged between the two. Christie managed to find an opening and deliver a kick Lelouch to the stomach, but the latter countered by taking hold of her leg and tossing her across the deck in a half-spin to add more momentum to his throw.

"That is no way to treat a lady." She mockingly admonished him.

"You attacked first, and even if I don't enjoy fighting women, don't think I'll go easy on you."

Christie flashed him a smirk before running towards him to continue the fight between the two.

Just before the distance could be closed between them Lelouch used his cape to briefly obscure him from her sight delaying her attack due to not having a clear target, before following up with another a series of quick punches to the woman's torso, but his opponent proved to be very tenacious as she weathered Lelouch's strikes before delivering a high kick to his chin. Christie attempted to follow up her attack with another kick aimed for the side of his head, but Lelouch let himself roll to the right before using his right hand to brace his body before driving both feet into Christie's torso delivering strong enough to knock her back.

It took less than a second for Christie to be back on her feet despite the blow she had received.

Lelouch was already pressing his offensive intending to quickly down his opponent; however the white haired woman was ready for him. Lelouch began his assault with two kicks as he leapt into the air to aim for her head, but Christie skillfully weathered his strikes. Once on the ground Lelouch threw a punch, but Christie caught it before throwing him to the ground. The masked shinobi quickly rolled back onto his feet to avoid a downward strike to his chest.

The older woman followed with a roundhouse kick, but Lelouch absorbed the blow with his right arm.

Christie on the other hand used this to strike with her other leg connecting the side of Lelouch's head momentary stunning him before capitalizing on her attack to seize his head with her legs before flipping him bodily over her and sent Lelouch flying, but the young man skillfully recovered in mid-air landing on his feet.

Lelouch's opponent tried to sweep him off his feet with a sweeping kick, but Lelouch interrupted it with one of his feet stopping the kick before delivering a roundhouse kick in retaliation knocking Christie to the ground.

Twisting on the ground Christie struck back with another low kick, but Lelouch maintained his distance as the woman recovered and returned to her feet still able to fight.

 _She is a lot tougher than she looks..._

Lelouch thought as he waited for Christie to resume her attack, as she rushed him and the two exchanged another flurry of hand to hand strikes, but the two managed to deflect and absorb each other's strikes. The dead heat continued on for a full minute until Christie slipped a few blows in, but Lelouch's armor weathered those strikes allowing him to grab one of her arms pulling her forward to unbalance her before sending her into the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON UP HERE?!" Fame Douglas demanded arriving on the scene with his personal bodyguard in tow, causing Christie to cease her actions.

The battle was over, but Lelouch knew from Fame's reaction that this was just the beginning.

 _Has Fame lost that much control over his own company?_

Lelouch said nothing, but he walked over to where he left his briefcase and retrieved it.

"I am sorry about the unintended welcome party Zero, but I suppose some people didn't get the memo that you were not to be disturbed until the tournament began."

"Its fine, but I suppose the security measures you had in place to conceal my presence until the Tournament, has drawn some unwanted attention." Lelouch said keeping the tone causal as Fame was trying to avoid revealing any sensitive information that could risk exposing his identity.

"So it would seem; I want to make it clear that Zero as a competitor for the tournament will not be interfered with." Fame said with a stern expression as he shot Christie a withering glare. "Make sure your superior is aware of this."

"You need not worry about further interference, as I am sure he'll want to see him in action during the tournament." Christie replied seemingly amused by events that had taken place as she dusted herself off. "I think he'll go far."

"You'll find no further trouble from them Zero, and your room is ready as arranged." Fame said professionally before taking his leave with his bodyguard shadowing him.

 _So that's Raidou?_

Raidou, the exiled shinobi from the Mugen Tenshin Village was a towering muscular man, with a darkened skin tone that seemed unnatural somehow as were his red eyes. Despite appearing to be in his fifties with graying hair and a beard with a scar over his right eye, he protected the aura of a frightening formidable foe. He wore a sleeveless dark gray karate robe with matching pants and appropriate footwear and an unusual necklace around his neck appearing to be some kind of talisman.

The two men silently regarded one another, but without a word Raidou continued on following Fame towards the parked VTOL.

Christie departed from the scene, but before leaving she said to Lelouch in passing.

"I am looking forward to your performance in the tournament."

The masked former prince said nothing, but once Christie was gone Lelouch quickly made his way to his cabin using the pathway Fame had told him would take him directly to his cabin. He used the service tunnels and ladders to avoid the other passengers and bypass populated areas, but thankfully his cabin wasn't hidden in the bottom of the ship and he didn't have to travel too far from the helipad as his special room was among those reserved for DOATEC executives and Fame had modified it to provide a safe place for Lelouch.

Everyone was likely in the grand ball room for the tournament reception so Lelouch saw few people along the way, but those few he saw were the ship's crew which he avoided easily as their attention was focused elsewhere on their pre-assigned tasks. Security was instructed to ignore him as he had special instructions from their superior, so he didn't have to worry about interference from them.

After some effort Lelouch reached his cabin without further confrontation and went inside before locking the door.

 _This is a bit nicer than I was expecting._

His room was large and unsurprisingly in a way that it was quite luxurious possessing a king size bed in the bedroom while the living room area had a large sofa with a seventy inch flat-screen television screen. It had a small bar located in the same room and an equally impressive bathroom. A few things that made his room different from the others were the fact his windows had been polarized to appear transparent on the inside and black on the other.

The windows the doors leading to the balcony had been sealed shut for the duration of Lelouch's stay preventing anyone from casually opening them to break into his room.

On a nearby desk in his bedroom were a series of monitors and a laptop with a stack of folders sitting on top of it.

 _Better sweep this room..._

Lelouch placed his briefcase on the bed and opened it to draw out a small device designed for scanning and locating any kind of surveillance equipment like bugs and hidden cameras. Lelouch dedicated an hour searching every likely and unlikely location for anything that didn't belong in this room, but after he had confirmed there were no surveillance devices, he sat down at the desk to remove his mask.

Lelouch took a deep breath as it was nice to look around the room with his own eyes, but he couldn't deny how advance his mask was.

Aside from its exterior appearance the mask itself served as something much more than in addition to concealing his features and contributing to his imposing appearance. When putting it on, three plates on the back of the mask slide down behind Lelouch's head forming a air-tight seal with the first layer of the suit providing protection from chemical and smoke hazards through specialized flitters built into the mask. It did come with a built-in oxygen supply for a period of ten minutes if Lelouch found himself in a location without air such as being underwater or a place too hazardous to risk breathing.

The mask also made use of a special heads-up-display feature across the visor that provided GPS location, navigation assistance and allowed Lelouch to toggle between different vision modes such as; infrared vision, night vision, ultraviolet vision and as well as magnification. One of the spikes on the back was a high-gain antenna installed for an internal communications on the left side of the mask, allowing Lelouch to stay in communication with others. The communication device can also scan police frequencies and other communications; it also had a directional microphone built into it for listening on conversations from a distance.

The mask itself was created with a graphite exterior that housed kevlar paneling, which made it impact resistant and protected the wearer from small-caliber firearms and concussive blows. The front of the mask and the sides of the mask where the wearer's temples would be also have small armor inserts to increase the effectiveness of skull strikes as well.

 _Ok, I better start going over these files and see what my opposition looks like._

The stack of folders were full of information about the competitors which Fame had provided to help Lelouch gain some insight about his opponents and what kind of fighting styles they employed so he would know what he was up against to better his chances to advancing through the tournament until he could face Raidou.

 _Let's see...Bass Armstrong...I remember Rivalz talking about him._

From what Lelouch heard of the man he was a professional wrestler known through Britannia holding the title of heavy weight champion and even world champion, before the war with the EU and Britannia broke out, for many years straight a feat no one else has been able to claim. Much of his information came from a fellow classmate at Ashford Academy, but he had hoped the folder might provide some more insight he could use.

 _He might have height and strength over me, but I think I can handle him. Not to mention his winning streak might make him over confident and that could be an advantage I could use too._

Once Lelouch was finished reviewing the information on Bass he put the folder aside to go over the next one.

 _Jann Lee,_ Lelouch thought as he began reading over his file. He is a self taught master of Jeet Kune Do, before that he lived as an orphan in the Chinese Federation. His skills were enough where he served as a bouncer for high-class night clubs.

The former prince studied the information for time until he concluded that Jann Lee was a fighting manic who had come purely for battle.

 _He might be a little troublesome, but perhaps I could use his desire for a good fight against him._

The next folder gave Lelouch pause as she was the last person he had expected to see in the tournament.

 _Kasumi..._

At first Lelouch thought it was just a look alike with her name and appearance, but further reading of her file revealed that she was indeed the same young woman she met at the village governed by her father.

 _Why is she here?_

A thought occurred to Lelouch and he brought up the security feeds from the cameras around the ship to do some investigation work.

 _Everyone should still be at the reception where Fame Douglas is planning on giving a speech soon._

Using his control over the cameras, he tuned into the ones inside the grand ballroom on the stern of the ship while switching from one camera to another looking for Kasumi.

 _There she is,_ Lelouch thought seeing her through one of the cameras placing her near the back of the ballroom.

The seventeen year old Kunoichi was recognizable even as a ten year old child, but clearly she had matured into a young woman with an alluring figure. Kasumi wore a Japanese-style school uniform with a white top, a red tie with a black skirt. Lelouch suspected that Kasumi presence had something to do with Raidou, but it didn't make sense for the second in line for leadership of their clan to be sent on such a potentially dangerous mission like this.

Then Lelouch was met with another surprise as he saw another familiar face. She was only one year younger than he and Kasumi, but what made her stand out was her light-reddish pink eyes, straight lavender hair cut to the nape of her neck possessing a fair skin complexion. She wore a black tank top with white shorts, and long purple socks that reached up to her thigh with white shoes to match her shorts.

Acting quickly before the two noticed one another Lelouch used another handy feature of the cameras, activating the directional microphone thus enabling him to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Ayane!?" Kasumi called out seemingly surprised by her presence, which only confused Lelouch further as to what was going on. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think traitor?" Ayane replied smugly, whose response surprised Lelouch.

 _Kasumi...a traitor to her village, but when did that happen?_

From what Lelouch remembered the Mugen Tenshin Village was divided into two sects, one was the main branch that lived in the village with Shiden and his family being the line from which the next leader would be chosen from. However living on the outskirts of the village was the clan's most shadowy sect known as the Hajinmon Sect.

The same sect that Genra was currently leader of and they were responsible for protecting the village from outside threats as well as eliminating those who had betrayed the village, which Ayane was a part of, so it would be natural someone from said sect would be sent for Kasumi.

 _But why...? Kasumi would never betray the village unless..._

Realization dawned on Lelouch as he began to suspect a possible factor behind Kasumi being labeled as a traitor.

Raidou turned against the village after he was passed over for the title of next clan leader and was not taught the family's signature technique passed from the clan leader to his or her successor alone.

He was exiled after he raped the wife of his own younger brother, Shiden, whom he had lusted for and resented Shiden for marrying her.

Shiden's wife gave birth to Ayane; Raidou's daughter and Kasumi's half-sister.

 _Shiden would have repelled him, unless he wasn't there, so the only reason..._

Lelouch began to realize that at some point over the past few years Raidou must have returned to the village, likely while Shiden was away seeking the Torn Sky Blast and likely forced the clan's current heir and Kasumi's older brother Hayate into using it against him providing a chance for him to copy it himself through observation.

 _Kasumi adored her older brother and if something had happened to him..._

The conversation Lelouch was about to overhear would confirm his suspicions about events that led to Kasumi becoming a traitor to the village and their presence on the ship.

"Genra-sama's orders," Ayane answered holding up a ticket, "I am here to kill you and then Raidou to avenge Hayate-sama, as well as our clan."

 _So that's it...Kasumi has become a Nukenin (runaway shinobi)...all to avenge Hayate._

Lelouch had yet another reason to see Raidou dead now; as he knew Hayate just as well as he'd known Kasumi. But Ayane on the other hand, their first meeting had been unexpected.

* * *

November 5th 2010 A.T.B.

A ten year old Lelouch was walking alone as he was following the river towards a spot he had heard from Kasumi where to find a good spot for fishing. Even through Lelouch was grateful for Shiden for all he had done for him and his sister so far, the former prince knew that sooner or later they would be sent away to live under the Ashford's care, so he wanted to make use of his time to become more self-sufficient. His attempts in the past had involved going to the store and purchasing his own food and supplies to provide for his sister and himself, which had been hazardous for him since he had typically gotten attacked by the local children for being Britannian.

The village was no different, along the way Lelouch had been attacked by some of the local children for being a Britannian until guards from the mansion broke it up warning them their village would be endangered if he was killed as it was part of an arrangement they would watch over him for a time in exchange their village would be kept hidden.

 _At least they didn't stand around like the guards Suzaku's father had assigned to watch over me._

Upon nearing the waterfall in question, a bruised and battered Lelouch drew out some fishing line and hooks he had in his pocket. He brought some bait as well, but he didn't bring a fishing poll knowing chances were high he would get attacked and feared any pole he brought would end up broken. So Lelouch fashioned his own, which was probably for the best as Lelouch bitterly recalled the last time he attempted to fish with Suzaku and Nunnally at the beach.

 _This time I'll get it right…_

Five minutes later after fashioning a make-shift fishing poll from a long stick the former prince could already hear Suzaku's words in his mind from the last time they fished.

 _"Lelouch you better hope you never end up stranded on a deserted island otherwise you'll be in trouble."_

Very much like last time Lelouch had become entangled in his own fishing line, although Lelouch was uncertain how it happened but the young man was hopelessly tied up by his own fishing line. The former prince kept struggling in vain, but his frustration only grew during the fishing trip with Suzaku and Nunnally.

His own little sister despite being blind and crippled caught more fish than either of them with some help from Suzaku. On the one hand he was happy for his sister, but on the other hand in light of his own difficulties at fishing Lelouch frustratingly couldn't comprehend what he was doing wrong.

His mood didn't improve when a little girl about a year younger than he asked, "What are you doing?"

Lelouch turned over and saw a nine year old Ayane wearing shinobi garb similar to Kasumi, but hers was purple instead of pink.

"I'm fishing"

Ayane raised an eyebrow at him in response.

"Using yourself as bait?"

"No!"

"I see so you just suck so badly at fishing that you got entangled in your own line." The lavender haired girl replied bluntly, arms crossed. "Why bother if you can't fish?"

"Because I want to prove I am alive?"

"Huh?!"

Lelouch remembered the last words his father, or rather the man he once called father, the Britannian Emperor had said to him before banishing him and Nunnally into exile to Japan to serve as political hostages.

 _"You are dead. You were always been dead to me, dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the fine clothes you wear and comfortable home? The food you eat and your very life? All of those, I have given to you; in short you are not nothing to me because you have never existed. Yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me?! Lelouch, you are dead, therefore you are not entitled to any rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan, as prince and princess; you will serve well as bargaining tools."_

Ever since that day Lelouch was determined to earn everything by his own power and ability as well as finding a way to live on his own without the support of anyone else. It was these factors especially with how distrustful he had grown towards others that made his initial time in Japan very difficult.

However it had also caused an unintended problem with his younger sister Nunnally.

Because of the trauma associated with being rendered crippled that caused her to close her eyes to a cruel world, it had affected her more so in terms of her mental state than Lelouch could realize initially. His desire to tend to all of Nunnally's needs created a dangerous situation where Nunnally was growing too dependent on Lelouch, which became apparent whenever Lelouch left her alone for a time he would return to find their room wrecked.

The doors had been locked and so had been the windows, but Nunnally was sitting in her wheelchair alone seemingly unaware of what had happened.

After a few more incidents Lelouch realized it was Nunnally who had been trashing the room whenever he left.

He would scold her of course, but she could never understand why, leading Lelouch to realize that Nunnally was attempting to keep Lelouch by her. Unfortunately Lelouch knew this would be impossible as he had to leave to get food and supplies for their room they lived in, but overtime her tantrums got worse leading to an incident where her hands had been bruised and cut. She even fell out of her wheelchair one time which after seeing their room destroyed again Lelouch actually yelled at her.

She had closed herself off from the world only wanting me to stay with him.

Nothing he did resolved the situation and the fact she was unable to do anything herself and was rendered practically helpless for the rest of her life, had impacted her more mentally than he had thought. Her growing dependence and insistence that Lelouch stay with her was dangerous and it would damage and hinder her emotional growth and possible recovery from the trauma of their mother's murder.

That was until Suzaku became more involved in their lives and did the one thing Lelouch was unable to do.

Lelouch was grateful and it was why Lelouch didn't mind leaving Nunnally to spend time with Kasumi knowing that the more social interaction she got with others the better it was for her and her emotional health.

"How do you prove anything when you are so terrible at it?"

Lelouch seethed as Ayane looked down at him.

"Maybe you should try actually catching fish instead of using whatever that is?"

"It's a fishing pole!"

"It's a jumbled mess with you stuck in it!"

"Like you can do better!"

"I can actually!" Ayane replied confidently before diving into the water. It took a few minutes, but one by one fish were being tossed out of the water landing on Lelouch's head. Ayane emerged from the water later having caught six fish all without using a fishing pole.

Lelouch was speechless, but he said nothing to save whatever pride he had left.

"I told you so!" Ayane replied after getting out of the water with her hands on her hips.

* * *

 _I guess I always have a difficult time meeting new people._

Lelouch thought as his mind returned to the present and he listened in on the rest of the conversation.

"Enjoy the cruise, because it will be your last."

"You won't beat me!" Kasumi said defiantly under her breath, but Ayane overheard it as she walked away.

"What was that?"

"I said you'll never beat me."

It was turning into a tense stand-off, but neither Ayane nor Kasumi would do anything foolish in a public gathering like this where it's more likely to end badly for both of them regardless of who won the fight that would've broken out if they lacked any kind of self-restraint.

Lelouch always knew that relations between Ayane and Kasumi were strained and bitter due to how Ayane had been treated and raised as an outcast, while her sister Kasumi was raised lovingly and lived the life of a princess. However Kasumi was hardly responsible as it was the decision of her mother Ayame to not raise her having felt ashamed for giving birth to the child of the man who had defiled her.

The former prince couldn't blame Ayame for her resentment, nor did he think it fair for Ayane to have endured such hardship for matters beyond her control.

 _I guess Kasumi fleeing the village has caused relations between the two to turn ugly, as now Ayane has a justification to kill her now._

The young man was already considering various plans and contingencies; although their presence was unexpected, Lelouch did realize having them both here increased his chances of eliminating Raidou.

 _If they seek Raidou's head, perhaps a temporary truce could be negotiated between them, although that would be easier said than done._

There was something Lelouch knew that they didn't and it was that Raidou had been altered by DOATEC's bio-weapons division which had dramatically increased his already impressive physical strength and endurance, turning someone who was a dangerous rouge shinobi into a genetically modified monster. Lelouch had yet to determine the full extent of Raidou's modifications, but from what Fame had told him it just made killing him all the more difficult.

 _Even if I told them that, Kasumi might be difficult to convince, and Ayane has always been stubborn so she will be far more difficult._

Regardless Lelouch needed to be careful since he couldn't risk exposing his true identity to them as they could see through his mask, so he needed to carefully plan how he would approach them. For now Lelouch would remain out of sight until they reach the island.

 _I have plenty of time to plan the best approach, but..._

The former prince returned to going over the rest of the contenders. The next folder surprised him, although he realized his chances of winning the tournament greatly declined, he did feel more optimistic about his chances of killing Raidou.

 _Ryu Hayabusa the proclaimed super ninja of the Hayabusa clan._

He had heard a number of interesting tales involving Ryu from his best friend Hayate who had met him a few times and were close friends. His skills and natural talents as a shinobi were the stuff of legends and he has been hailed as the greatest ninja the Hayabusa Clan has ever produced.

 _Perhaps...I should consider approaching him._

* * *

Meanwhile in her own private cabin Christie was making a call on her cell phone while relaxing on the couch in the living room of her cabin.

"It's me; I found where some of those resources from the Applied Science Department and Military Research Projects have gone." Christie said speaking to the caller on the other line.

"Do we have a name?"

"No, but he uses a call sign; Zero. I fought him to get a measure of him and he is a tough one that is for sure."

"I see, so Fame is being unusually cautions I see."

"Do you think he suspects something?"

"Most likely as he has been growing increasingly wary lately, but he likely doesn't know enough to prove anything."

"Shall I order our man to take him out at the first opportunity?"

"Yes, but wait until after the ship arrives at the island and the final round of the tournament."

"Understood, but one more thing, about this Zero?"

"Go on..."

"His fighting style resembles that Kasumi girl's and the other one taking part in the tournament." Christie noted as she had been the one to personally extend an invitation to the newly runaway ninja on the outskirts of her village. She had arrived in an armed VTOL transport to pick up the Kunoichi and she had run into some problems with Ayane attempting to prevent Kasumi from leaving.

A scuffle on a wooden draw bridge between the two had taken place allowing her to observe their combat skills, so recalling that she noticed some similar moves used by Zero during their own fight.

The caller was quiet for a moment until he said, "What an interesting development."

"Do you want me to investigate Zero further?"

"No...I suggest we leave him alone for...now. We'll observe him closely during the tournament and we'll see what happens."

"Of course, Mr. Donovan."

* * *

A/N: Well Lelouch has just gotten the attention of some unsavory people which could result in him becoming part of Donovan's experiments. The last thing this world needs is an army of Lelouch clones which we can all agree would be as bad news as Kasumi clones lol.

Lelouch is going to have to deal with Donovan especially as his projects will give Britannia a deadly advantage against Lelouch and his allies later, so the tournament is the beginning of a plot that will extend through the story.

I don't want to say more to avoid potential spoilers, but anyone familiar with the games and the back stories of the characters should have an idea of what I am planning.

And that line Suzaku gives is hands down one of my favorite lines he gives in the novels as he strangely predicts the situation he finds himself in along with Euphy during season one of Code Geass.

The bit about the troubles with Nunnally was also mentioned in the novels, which was a key reason in Suzaku and Lelouch becoming good friends.

Anyway thanks in advance for reviews and I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far, although Lelouch's armor is tough his foes especially later are going to be anything but human and he'll need a good advantage to survive especially against the likes of Raidou.


	3. Chapter 3 The Island

Special Thanks to AnubisGundam0 for editing and proofreading the chapter.

A/N: well thanks to the reviews and everyone who voted, so without further delay here is the next chapter with our first tournament fight in the story.

* * *

Chapter 3

The Island

Sitting in his cabin, Lelouch monitored the security feeds from the numerous cameras distributed throughout the luxury cruise ship; Freedom Survivor. Currently, Lelouch was restricted to his cabin – by his own choice, of course – to protect his identity from the unlikely possibility of being discovered. That however, had changed with the appearance two young girls; Kasumi and Ayane, from the Mugen Tenshin Clan whom he had met in the past.

Lelouch knew the two held no hostility towards him, their reactions however could draw needless attention towards him in the event they recognized him should he be mingling with the other guests aboard the ship. They were probably the only two people – excluding his employer – in the tournament that could positively ID him, everyone else was a stranger.

He had met the two girls nine years ago when he had gone into hiding during Britannia's invasion of Japan. It had been arranged for him and his sister to reside in the Mugen Tenshin mountain village. Back then he had thought living in the remote Kururugi Shrine was difficult, but it was nothing compared to the inhospitable mountains.

They had been given accommodations in the Clan leader's residence alongside his children; Hayate and Kasumi. Nunnally was for the most part confined to building as the mountain paths weren't much more than game trails ill suited for her wheelchair to traverse. Only Lelouch could wander outside with any sort of ease, which was just as well, while the clan leader; Shiden and those within his house were polite and courteous, the further one travelled, the less tolerant the locals became.

At the time, Lelouch was familiar with Japanese resentment towards Britannians, he had been waylaid many times by the rural youths back when he was living at the shrine while getting food for him and Nunnally. However, the beatings the village youths gave him made his scuffles with rural youths look like harmless rough housing. It was no surprise really, the rural youths grew up in a modern Japan, while the isolationist ninja villages had barely changed at all since the time of feudal Japan, and were accustomed to the harsh lifestyle making the village youths both tougher and meaner in comparison to their modern contemporaries.

One of his tormentors was the village outcast; Ayane, who stood out with purple hair and ruby eyes. It was hate at first sight between the two. She frequently ousted his location to the village youths unless he surrendered whatever treats – in the eyes of those living on the outskirts of the village – he had been given, he had stubbornly refused to be blackmailed at first. Later he had accused Ayane of being too weak and cowardly to do it herself, it was then that she personally beat the stuffing out of him and helped herself. To add insult to injury she used him as an impromptu seat as she enjoyed the spoils of war.

This hasn't gone unnoticed by the clan head. However, no one was punished; Lelouch had been warned not to venture too far from the residence. In their eyes, his refusal to heed their warnings was himlooking for trouble and finding it.

Afterwards Lelouch resorted to bargaining and bribery, much to his relief Ayane gave him some respite. Unless of course, the former prince had the misfortune of running into the village youths on his own, in which case it was his problem. What he couldn't figure out much to his frustration was why she frequently targeted him. One day, however Lelouch stumbled across the village youths by accident, fortunately they had yet to notice him. This was because they had already found a target for their amusement; a familiar girl with purple hair, Ayane.

Watching from the shadows, Lelouch realized that Ayane wasn't all that popular in the village, as the youths had given her the same work over they reserved for Lelouch. When they eventually wandered off, Ayane looked like Lelouch had on a bad day, bruised and bloody. With a black eye and a split lip, Ayane scowled in the direction of youths retreating backs, an expression Lelouch was familiar with, he'd seen it in the mirror on his own face many a time.

When he had approached her, she had turned that same scowl on him daring him to pity her. Lelouch saw that he made the right choice in not intervening as he'd have received no gratitude for his trouble, once the youths were done with him, she probably would've throttled him herself afterwards to vent her own frustration. Instead, he allowed her to salvage her wounded pride by implying that she had taken a tumble down a steep hill as opposed to being beaten up; he had even surrendered his treats without a fuss which she snatched from his hand before dashing away.

It was later that day he learned about Ayane's outcast status, hated and looked down upon by the adults, and frequently bullied and ostracized by village children. Only then Lelouch began to understand her behavior, his arrival had provided a distraction for the village youths granting her a reprieve from her usual routine. In a way they were similar, both despised by their own people.

It was Genra who revealed this truth to him during another of their private lessons together.

 _"Ayane was born after her mother Ayame, the wife of our clan leader Shiden, and his older brother who had always had an eye for Ayame. However, she chose Shiden over him and when Raidou was passed over to become the next clan leader, he raped her before escaping, but this left Ayame pregnant with Ayane who was forced to live as an outcast because of her tainted birth viewed as a dishonor by the rest of the clan."_

From then on Lelouch freely shared his treats with her; in exchange she showed him the side alleys and escape routes she used to avoid the village youths. They still didn't like each other, but there was a begrudging respect between them and a degree of acceptance. One time she found him at Kasumi's favorite fishing spot where he showed how bad he was at fishing, entangling himself in the line. Once again, he resentfully became in impromptu seat as Ayane enjoyed freshly cooked fish, after she had untangled him it was revealed that Ayane had left him the last remaining one.

Lelouch couldn't say if their relationship had begun to improve that day, but it didn't get worse.

Memories of being used as a seat by the girl both irritated, and amused him to this day.

 _I'll likely have to fight you or Kasumi,_ Lelouch thought before noting it was likely he would fight both of them at some point. It was just a question which of the two he would fight first. His interactions with Kasumi in the past were much more amicable than with Ayane, though Kasumi mostly kept Nunnally company during their stay at the village.

Using his free hand to massage his right temple, he decided to get a look at some of the other competitors.

Making use of his control over the security cameras once more Lelouch soon spotted two more of the competitors he would have to face.

He saw an old Chinese man of sixty five with a long white beard, long matching hair tied into a long braid, although he was balding on the sides. He stood over five feet tall. His skin was tanned, but despite his age, he was in impressive shape as he was dressed in baggy white long-sleeved martial arts top with striped fur sleeves and pants with the same design and kenpo shoes.

The man he was interacting with a young man of African-Britannian descent of twenty five standing at five feet and eleven inches. He was dressed in a white crop top with black text on the front and a logo on each sleeve. Lelouch couldn't see it from the angle, but it was a detail he could ignore because the man was famous enough for Lelouch to instantly recognize the man. The rest of his attire consisted of leather pants, gray sneakers, and a metal wristband on his left wrist, a hoop earring in his left ear, a pair of black sunglasses, and a blue beret.

"The prize money will be used to pay for my granddaughter's medical treatment," Gen Fu said with a determined expression, but his fellow competitor was different even though he seemed to possess a seemingly unending sense of optimism.

"Oh, why don't you relax Gramps, because I can double that money in Vegas." Zack offered in what was publicly recognized as usual flamboyant self with no end to his optimism.

The old martial artist however didn't share in his enthusiasm, "NEVER!"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed like those of a hawk.

Gen Fu; he hails from the Chinese Federation where he owns a book store in Beijing. Lelouch read as he reviewed the contents of Gen Fu's file. Despite his humble life style the old man was a master of xinyi liuhe quan, a formidable martial art that trains a fighter to use fighting techniques that revolves around using his upper body and hands primarily.

Lelouch found no indication or any record of Gen Fu having ever participating in any past martial arts tournaments, at least those that DOATEC knew about. So there was nothing Lelouch had that could help him determine the old man's fighting skills, aside from footage of Gen Fu's preliminary matches. Just the same given his age and confidence to stand against the world's best fighters gathered was good enough reason for Lelouch to act on the assumption that he was dangerous.

Zack on the other hand...

He began as a DJ who's happy-go-lucky, silly and showman antics have made him a very popular celebrity in Britannia. He has even broken a number of world records such as having balanced a stack of one hundred plates on his head and traveled the fastest in a supersonic car. He has always been seeking ways to further his own fame and fortune to fund his luxurious lifestyle. Some might've been surprised that a celebrity like Zack would compete in a martial arts tournament, but others more familiar with him wouldn't be since it was a golden opportunity for him to claim even more fame and wealth if he won.

"I would write him off as a joke, but..." Lelouch murmured thinking out loud to himself. "He fought in four other fighting tournaments last year having used a Muay Thai boxing, which was according to him self-taught."

The former prince placed one hand on his chin as he observed Zack's prelim footage.

"On the other hand he been overly flashy and a showoff, so that could be to my advantage to take him down. However, his long limbs give him extensive reach."

Lelouch shifted his attention and began looking for the next competitor until he spotted a young Chinese woman who was nineteen years old and was another who hailed from the Chinese Federation. She possessed long brown hair that was styled into a braided queue hairstyle. The young woman had a fair skin complexion with brown eyes and was dressed in a red and gold trimmed cheongsam gown with a dragon imprinted upon it.

"Let's see she must be Lei fang; a college student who joined the tournament. Like the others she passed the qualifying preliminary tournament, but for someone from a wealthy family, her decision to attend a tournament like this seems rather sudden." Lelouch said before he began trying to get a better idea of Lei fang's personality.

The young man knew that according to her dossier, the young woman was trained in T'ai chi ch'uan, although she probably wasn't physically as powerful as some of the other contenders, Lelouch decided to be mindful of her and if possible attempt to observe her during the tournament.

 _Next is…_

This time Lelouch spotted two more competitors, but they were in a heated argument with one another. The first was a young woman of twenty two years with shoulder-length blonde hair, peach-colored skin and blue eyes. She was dressed in a red sports bra with spandex pants with the words Board and Above imprinted on the sides of the paints, the red gloves and on the arm bands. She wore black knee pads, a pair of matching boots with red and yellow protective wrestling gear.

Her companion, or rather Lelouch realized it was her father, who had the same shoulder-length blonde hair styled into a mullet with a beard to match. Befitting having spent his whole life as a wrestler he possessed a very tall and broad muscular frame despite being in his late forties. His attire consisted of a black leather biker's jacket with spikes, matching pants, boots, and biker gloves, a red shirt, and a black bandana. His outfit was complimented with a pair of black sunglasses, a chain necklace, metal bands on his arms and a chain dangling from his belt.

 _I guess they are the father and daughter competing against one another._

The competitors' names were Tina Armstrong and her father Bass Armstrong. Much like her father, Tina had followed in her father's footsteps and became a professional wrestler and became one of the best Women Wrestlers in Britannia winning the national championship two years in a row. Both were highly popular in Britannia, Lelouch's friend back at Ashford; Rivalz was a big fan of the Armstrongs – particularly Tina–and never missed a match. No surprises there. Lelouch didn't know the reason the two entered the tournament together, but judging from the argument, although Lelouch wasn't attempting to listen in, the former prince suspected that Tina's decision to enter the tournament was not something her father approved of.

Moving onto the next competitor, but like the last two he had just observed they were Britannian. The fact that he was a year younger than Lelouch was remarkable enough, but given his friendly deposition it wasn't hard to spot him mingling with various members of the crowd. He had spiky blonde hair, blue eyes and a fair skin complexion wearing a white suit with a black vest, black pants and a green tie with black boots on. His name was Gino Weinberg.

 _According to the dossier, he had just recently run away from home, which is odd given that he is the heir to the Weinberg Household._

The Weinberg Family was among Britannia's oldest and most prominent of noble families, so to hear that its youngest heir had run away was odd. It wasn't unheard of; since there have been such cases in the past usually involving the daughters from such families wishing to escape an unsavory arranged marriage, but in his case it was just odd. There were few details to explain his reasons for taking part in the tournament, but adding to the oddities was the fact that Gino was listed as a user of Japanese martial arts mixed with kickboxing creating something of his own style, confirmed in his prelim footage.

Gino's friendly disposition was rather baffling, which wasn't something you would expect from a child of a noble family, or at least those Lelouch had known. Either it was a mask, or Gino was the odd duck of the family.

Unable to gleam anything further, Lelouch began looking for the last of the competitors, but he ran into a problem.

 _I don't see Ryu or Raidou, although the latter not being present is unsurprising. However I don't see the last contender._

The last competitor whom Lelouch was unable to find was a man named Bayman, who like Zack lacked a surname of any kind according to the dossier he was given. Based on the information Lelouch was provided, the man was of Russian descent and was formerly part of Russia's spetsnaz who was also trained and specializes in the sambo fighting style. He'd left the military when the military leaders of the EU and Russia began clashing over various issues related to the military as the EU wanted to transfer more of their soldiers to defend Europe from invasion, but his country was worried that would leave them weakened to an invasion from Alaska. With the situation deteriorating, Bayman left the military where he became a mercenary and assassin for hire who took on the most challenging assignments.

Lelouch made do with watching Bayman's prelim matches.

 _I suppose unlike the others I doubt I could've gained anything from observing his personality, but given his background he'll likely be an aggressive fighter like the Armstrong Family, Raidou and Lee._

Lelouch finished his observations for the evening and decided to freshen up since the day after tomorrow they would arrive at the island where the tournament would begin.

* * *

It was late afternoon and classes for the day had concluded at Ashford Academy, but a small gathering of its students, specifically the student council was gathered inside the student council club building that had a ballroom for formal events. One such event happening today was the members of the student council gathering before a large flat-screen television set.

"So is everyone ready?"

The cheery voice came from the student council's eccentric and seemingly endlessly energetic leader. She had medium-length blonde hair, wearing the student uniform for female students consisting of a light-sandy brown color coat with gold trim, a white dress shirt, a green tie and a black skirt. Her blue eyes considered a very mischievous nature that Milly Ashford was famous around the academy for.

"So Lelouch is still out?" Asked the only other male member of the student council besides Lelouch who was the Vice-President, but unlike their missing vice-president, Rivalz Cardemonde was present.

He wore the male version of the Ashford Academy uniform consisting of a black-uniform tunic-like top with gold trim and matching pants. Rivalz himself had spiky blue hair and gray eyes with a more tanned complexion.

"He is, but I am getting worried he has been out for almost a week? Just how long is this internship program supposed to take?"

The answer leading to another question came from the next female member of the student council Shirley Fenette who had long orange hair and light green eyes with a fair skin complexion the same as Milly.

"Well, I'm not sure what he did to earn such an offer." Began another female member of the gathering being the same age as the others except for Milly, who was a year older, but she was the only Japanese girl amongst them. "But my mother is head of DOATEC's Japan branch, so she would know more than I would, however, usually such internship programs can last a few weeks, especially if it takes them to one of their other main offices around the world, like the company headquarters in Britannia."

She had long black hair and she wore oval-shaped red rimmed glasses over her deep gray eyes. She had a fair skin complexion, but like Shirley and Milly, she had an attractive petite figure.

"So he could be gone for a month?" Shirley asked who was distressed about the young man.

"That is possible depending on which department at DOATEC he is involved in, and you can't forget travel time." Kokoro said with a matter of fact tone in an effort to calm her friend.

Being the only Japanese person in the room had in the past made the group's last official member of the Student Council nervous, but Nina Einstein had grown to not mind Kokoro's presence since it helped that she was trained in martial arts, which protected the young woman from any unsavory characters.

"It's starting!" Rivalz shouted as the broadcast began.

* * *

In the southwestern region of the Pacific Ocean, the Freedom Survivor had dropped anchor off of a privately owned island belonging to DOATEC, although it had a hotel, a harbor with a beach and a resort area it possessed a military base on the other side of the island with some weapon testing facilities next to it. The office near the hotel was likely the headquarters for DOATEC's operations on the island while the beach and hotel was likely intended for employees and special guests to use.

Lelouch was hiding below the ring at the newly built stadium, which had been built next to the hotel by the harbor for convenience, because Fame had asked if the former prince could set up for a dramatic entrance to provide both a good introduction and a way to close off the introduction of the fighters. It felt unnecessary, but Lelouch was willing to oblige his benefactor. He was of course dressed in his Zero attire with the mask and everything firmly secured to mask his true identity.

 _There is no turning back now._

* * *

Meanwhile, at the harbor Fame Douglas was on a large stage overlooking a crowd consisting of high ranking executives of DOATEC, mixed with special guests and dignitaries from the three major superpowers of the world. There were news crews using cameras to provide live worldwide coverage of the tournament's opening event as Fame spared no expense to make the opening of the Dead or Alive Tournament to be a real spectacle.

The observation deck Fame stood on overlooked both the crowd, as well as the ring that sat in the middle of the gathering. The fighting area of the coliseum itself is simply an enclosed, square wrestling ring. The ring didn't appear to be anything other than what you might typically expect from a wrestling ring, the ropes around the outside of the ring are actually electric, meaning that anyone touching or thrown against them will be shocked once the match began forming a danger zone. Thankfully the electric current wasn't enough to be fatal, but it would give you a nasty shock.

The stadium around the ring was of recent construction, so around the outside of the ring there are bleachers with tiered rows of seats for spectators. There was a large gateway on one end of the stadium where fighters may exit to make their entrance before a fight, and a large screen is above it showing the action in the ring. Above it was the observation deck where Fame and Raidou could be seen within. The last additions to the stadium included proper stage lighting hanging from the ceiling, colorful lighting, and confetti falling from the ceiling during winning poses.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank you all for being here for the opening ceremony of the tournament where the world shall get a first look at our contenders for the title of the greatest fighter alive, and we shall also decide the first matches." Fame Douglas announced to the gathered crowd while he stood behind a podium stop the small stage overlooking the arena. "Let us begin with the Empire's representatives," Fame began before pausing for dramatic effect, "BRASS ARMSTRONG!"

At the far end of a runaway connected to the stage was Brass. He proudly walked to the ring with his arms in the air as confetti and fountain sparklers shot into the air. Many of Bass's fans cheered from the audience. As the competitor made his or her way to the stage the large screens positioned around the stadium began played back a video recording of their fights from the preliminary tournament to qualify for Dead or Alive.

Brass's video footage showed him using his wrestling and grapple techniques to deal with his opponents before using his physical might to overpower them.

Once he arrived on the stage Fame moved on to introduce the next competitor.

"TINA ARMSTRONG!"

Much like her father she basked in the dramatic flair of the entrance she was being given, blowing kisses to the Audience. There were plenty of catcalls and wolf whistles from the guys in the stands. Her own demonstration video saw her employ a fighting style that was unsurprisingly similar to her father, but she was quicker than he was in his movements adding speed to her powerful blows she dealt to those who fought her in the preliminaries.

"ZACK!"

Zack's entrance was the most energetic by far, as with any of his public appearances he put on a flashy show of movements and his muscles as he advanced towards the stage. This was another reason where Lelouch's suspicions about Zack being formidable were supported, even though others might assume otherwise, his flashy and showman personality, swiftly and easily defeated foes with a mix of showy, but effective punches and strikes.

Once Zack joined the others Fame called the name of the next contender.

"GINO WEINBERG!"

Gino made his way to the stage taking a moment to offer a friendly wave or two to the cheering spectators.

Gino's video proved that despite his friendly demeanor he was a capable fighter in his own right as he used a mixed fighting style of Japanese martial arts and kickboxing to throw some of his opposition off guard by changing his style of fighting, but he integrated them remarkably well.

"From The Federation; GEN FU!"

Compared to Zack, the elderly Chinese man carried himself with a more composure as he simply strolled to the stage joining the four. His demonstration video of his fighting technique showed Gen Fu skillfully using quick strikes and blows to swiftly take down his foes, which only proved Lelouch's suspicions about the elderly man being more formidable than his age might've led anyone else to believe.

It was something his opponents had clearly learned the hard way.

"LEIFANG!"

She put upon an elegant style entrance, but unlike Tina she didn't attempt to put on a show. Not unlike the person who was called to join the others next. Even so the guys amongst the audience showed their appreciation with the occasional wolf whistle.

Her demonstration showed her using rapid strikes and redirection to defeat her foes, although she lacked the strength Tina had she made up for it with speed and evasion.

"JANN LEE!"

Jann Lee was completely indifferent to the crowd and made no effort to appeal to them other than strolling confidently to the ring at a quick pace wishing to begin fighting as soon as possible.

The Chinese Federation native's video could be described as watching a kung fu movie as Jann Lee demonstrated he had both speed and power accompanied by his famous dragon cry. His foes barely had a chance to respond to his attacks and even those who had a chance to get a hit in, couldn't stop him as he merely shrugged off their attacks like they were nothing, which was likely thanks to the years he spent as a bouncer and a high pain threshold.

"From Europia United; BAYMAN!"

The Russian Mercenary marched out onto the stage with discipline and professionalism as he paid no mind to the crowd seeking to join the other competitors as quickly as he could. The hardened mercenary was six feet tall with a muscular build befitting his profession with a slightly tanned complexion. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair styled into a military cut with a black beret on his head.

His attire consists of a gray and white battle uniform with black boots and fingerless gloves.

Bayman's video showed him to be a tower that couldn't be taken down by his foes as he could be seen parrying the blows of his foes before delivering punishing counterattacks that would leave them on the ground defeated.

"From Area 11 and the first of DOATEC's sponsored fighters... KASUMI!"

Kasumi was indifferent as she made her way to the ring, although she carried herself with a modest and elegant grace as she did so.

Unlike the others though Kasumi didn't have a prerecorded video of her fighting in the preliminaries because of the special circumstances surrounding how she was brought into the tournament. Similar to Zero she was brought in and inducted into the tournament by a high-ranking member of DOATEC with the authority to do so bypassing the preliminary tournament. Officially, Donovan was her sponsor.

Lelouch shook his head, _of all the things she could've worn, it had to be that outfit._ He thought referring to her blue garb which earned her a number of catcalls, not as many as Tina, but more than Lei fang, much to Kasumi's embarrassment. 'Not that Ayane's is much better.'

"AYANE!"

The purple haired shinobi strolled towards the ring with confidence, but she didn't waste a chance to cast a glare at Kasumi. Both her dress and her exotic looks earned her a few whistles from the crowd, though she paid them no mind her gaze briefly settling on the observation deck.

Ayane's video had her evading the opposition before seizing any openings and quickly delivering a series of punishing kicks and strikes that left them on the ground defeated if they were unable to defend themselves properly.

"RYU HAYABUSA!"

The famed super ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, walked out towards the stage with a sense of strict discipline and didn't care all that much for the cheering crowd.

His attire was known as the legendary Black Falcon that consisted of a full bodysuit with a minor padding and straps which hold his six kunai, three on each thigh, in place. He also wears tabi-style boots, black armor, a balaclava, a forehead protector, and a mask which covers his lower face. On his back was the famed Dragon Sword said to be a formidable blade.

Aside from that his exposed upper arms suggested he had a slightly tanned complexion and light green eyes.

His demonstration video showed him defeating his foes with lightning fast speed and strikes that came so quickly some of his foes barely had a chance to react resulting in a quick defeat for most of them.

Fame's introduction of the Shinobi had been somewhat flat, and the unintended snub was met with approval by the Britannian nationals within the audience. However, Fame held nothing against the three Shinobi; he was simply caught off guard by the number of them present as he knew they had no interest in either the tournament, or the prize money. Which begged the question; were they here for his bodyguard Raidou, or were here for Kasumi whom had been spirited away by Donovan?

Lelouch figured that Donovan was going to get an earful from Fame for the uncertainty he created by drawing the possible ire of the clans.

"Now for the final competitor representing DOATEC, I give you a man whom I personally invited to make things more interesting." Fame announced injecting renewed enthusiasm into his voice before declaring the name of his chosen contender, "ZERO!"

Instead of appearing at the end of the runway as the others did Lelouch appeared as Zero after a cloud of black smoke erupted in the heart of the ring. Once the small cloud vanished Zero was standing there like a statue.

Some of the contenders were taken back, which was expected. Some like Jann didn't pay Lelouch any mind, but others still eyed the masked man.

No one said a word, but Lelouch could feel their stares upon him especially those of Kasumi and Ayane.

"Now let's begin deciding the first set of matches," Fame said before gesturing for a female employee wearing a business suit to rolled out a cart holding a set of balls contained within a black box with a hole on the top for a contender to reach into. "One at a time I wish for our competitors to take one ball out of the box and then display the number it holds."

One by one they did so, there were twelve in total and once the numbers on each ball were revealed in the hand of the one who picked it the large monitors displayed the match line ups. The twelve were divided into three groups of four. Numbers one through four made up group A, five through eight, group B, and lastly nine through twelve, group C. The fighters in Group A would compete in the first two rounds.

The first round would be between Kasumi and Gen Fu, which would be followed by Ryu Hayabusa against Jann Lee.

"The contenders for our first match will remain in the ring while the rest can observe the fight from the observation room." Fame instructed as everyone, but Kasumi and Gen Fu left the ring.

Once everyone else had left Kasumi assumed a fighting stance as did get foe.

"Let the first round begin!" The CEO and founder of DOATEC announced.

"I shall win!" Kasumi declared bowing respectfully to her opponent.

"I wouldn't hold back," Gen Fu cautioned.

"FIGHT!"

With that the fight began as Gen Fu and Kasumi rushed towards the other to engage in a fierce exchange of hand stokes and fists. The young ninja had no intention of holding back as she soon recognized that Gen Fu was stronger than his age would suggest. Kasumi quickly parried some quick hand thrusts that nearly got past her defenses, during the exchange Kasumi felt that Gen Fu's strikes were like his hands were made of iron with considerable strength behind them.

Thankfully Kasumi had the vitality of youth, with speed and agility on her side.

Using a ninpo technique, Kasumi slipped behind Gen Fu to surprise him from behind. She vanished in a flurry of cherry blossom petals before reappearing behind her foe. Unfortunately, being an experienced fighter Gen Fu had realized the danger and he countered her attack, catching her right arm aimed to strike his back before delivering five consecutive hand chops to her left arm, shoulder and striking her in the chest three times before ramming his shoulder into her, knocking her across the ring. Kasumi rolled backwards before using one had to transition into a back flip righting herself in midair.

Gen Fu closed in to press his attack, but when he overextended himself trying to strike Kasumi with another punch, she evaded before delivering a vicious counterattack. Using his arm as leverage she launched herself into the air delivering a kick to the face with both feet knocking him across the ring. Using teleportation again, Kasumi appeared in the air above Gen Fu before dive bombing into him like an arrow before hitting him in the chest.

As Kasumi rolled back onto her feet, Gen Fu was surprisingly quick to recover. He attacked Kasumi again, but the young woman deflected the punishing blows. Gen Fu delivered a swift blow to her stomach with a knee strike creating an opening for some quick jabs. Kasumi allowed herself to fall towards the floor, but she grabbed her foe pulling him down with her. As he fell forward, Kasumi kicked him with enough strength to knock Gen Fu off his feet before kicking him multiple times in the torso before a final kick sent him flying ten feet into the air. Gen Fu recovered as he fell back towards the ground righting himself, but he barely dodged Kasumi's attack.

Gen Fu followed it up with two low kicks to trip her up, but his foe maneuvered to avoid it before delivering a high quick to his face. Despite Kasumi's rapid strikes the aged martial artist endured with no oblivious sign of fatigue. Kasumi was far from being worn down herself, which made it all the more clear that victory wouldn't come easy for the other.

The elderly fighter harried her with a combination of powerful palm strikes and a series of high & low punches. Gen Fu countered Kasumi's attack by grabbing her arm and then flipping the woman over his shoulder and launching her into the air.

The young shinobi flipped around in midair before landing on both feet, turning to meet Gen Fu as the latter renewed his attack with a shoulder slam, but Kasumi dropped to her knees before sweeping her older foe off his feet. As he fell back Gen Fu tried to use one hand to recover, but Kasumi wasn't going to give him a chance before delivering a powerful kick that sent Gen Fu sliding across the floor of the arena. Kasumi hurried to press her offensive, but Gen Fu was quick to recover as he was back on his feet in time to meet Kasumi head on.

Kasumi dodged his strike before spinning around to deliver a kick to the side of his dead, but Gen Fu didn't go down as he stubbornly stood his ground. The blow to his head stunned him momentarily, but he quickly recovered and followed up his attack with a shoulder slam before attempting to deliver a kick to Kasumi's stomach. Unfortunately for him, Kasumi was equally determined to win as he was if not more so, but only one can be the victor. Kasumi dodged his next attack before grabbing his arm allowing her to entrap him, restricting his movements and began repeatedly striking him in the face with her free hand before kicking him away with a blow to the stomach.

Gen Fu rushed the young woman, but Kasumi dodged it. The elderly fighter however anticipated her evasion and was ready for it with an elbow strike to the face when she tried to flank him for a surprise attack. The attack had briefly stunned the young Kunoichi before countering with a hold gripping his arm and wrapping one leg around his head before spinning the old man around using her leg to drive Gen Fu's face into the floor of the ring. Resigning control the old man rolled with it turning his body in an attempt to kick Kasumi, although he missed, the near miss forced the young woman to release him freeing him from her hold. Using a sweeping kick to keep Kasumi at a distance as he rolled into a crouch, Gen Fu defiantly rose up to his feet once more with still no signs of wear upon his aged face as he resumed his fighting stance.

Kasumi answered his defiance with one of her own.

The Kunoichi attacked, exchanging various strikes and kicks before an opening allowed Kasumi stun Gen Fu with another kick to the face before leaping into the air to deliver more than eight consecutive kicks to his face in rapid succession, followed by a powerful kick to his face to dive the older man to the floor and launch herself into the air where she performed a graceful forward flip before landing on the ground again. Gen Fu lay stunned, but rose once more as he refused to fall so easily when his granddaughter's life was on the line.

Kasumi employed a roundhouse kick as an opening for her renewed assault, but she had anticipated her foe would absorb the blow and followed with a high kick at the moment Gen Fu blocked her kick by leaping and spinning in midair to enable her other leg to strike the old man in the fast face. She followed this up using both hands to catch herself and then drive both feet into Gen Fu's torso knocking him back with a blow that would've broken the bones of any ordinary fighter. The elderly fighter was sent staggering back by that blow to be sure, but he hadn't suffered any broken bones during the course of this fight as a testament to both his tenacity and durability. Gen Fu rushed her before she could get back onto her feet delivering a punishing blow to the face knocking Kasumi across the ring, but much like her foe she had tenacity and durability to match as well as she recovered in time to met the elderly fighter what she would be would the last engagement between them.

Even though neither fighter had showed signs of slowing down, however someone had to be weakening by now given the punishing blows both fighters had dealt to the other.

Kasumi caught another of Gen Fu's strikes before flooring him with another kick to the face, but after the old man got to his feet once more Kasumi used her teleportation to deliver a fast and hard strike onto Gen Fu in passing. The impact of her attack caused Gen Fu to drop to his knees again, but now it seemed to be the old man was beginning to weaken as he struggled to get back onto his feet after Kasumi struck him. Even though it seemed to be a short time had passed everyone was interested in watching the first match of the tournament coming down to the wire as both Kasumi and Gen Fu were giving it their all to win.

Only one could win the fight in the end though, and the match was over after Kasumi attacked Gen Fu with a flurry of punches and hand strikes targeting the chest and head before finishing him with another roundhouse kick to the face sending the old man crashing into the floor face first.

Gen Fu lay motionless on the ground, he was still breathing, but he wasn't moving.

Taking this as a signal the referee hurried into the ring to check the fallen Gen Fu. After he proved unresponsive the referee began counting down.

"1…2…and 3 YOU ARE OUT!"

A bell rang throughout the stadium before colorful confetti began falling from the ceiling to commemorate the first victor of the tournament.

"The winner of the first round is Kasumi!" Fame announced having clearly enjoyed the fight as his expression and tone implied.

Kasumi let out a sigh of relief, while at the same time she silently acknowledged her defeated foe.

* * *

Gen Fu was still unconscious, as two members of the on-duty medical team with a stretcher hurried out into the ring to take the old man to the onsite infirmary inside the stadium to recover until he regained conscious. The crowd was applauding wildly having enjoyed the fight as much as Fame did, but so too did the members of the Ashford Academy Student Council.

"Damn that old man really put up a fight. I thought he'd never go down." Rivalz said as he was among those impressed by Gen Fu's durability and endurance despite all of the punishment he had taken. A grin appeared on his face as he watched Kasumi proceed to leave the stage as he put one hand on his chin before offering up a comment about the victor. "Still that's an interesting outfit she is wearing."

"Oh yes I'm sure," Shirley said sarcastically while eyeing the young man suspiciously.

"Maybe you should wear something like that Shirley, I'm sure it will attract attention, especially from a certain someone!" Milly said with a mischievous grin.

Shirley's face turned bright red before managing to loudly retort, "MADAME PRESIDENT!"

Thankfully Kokoro came to Shirley's rescue when she decided to point out the intention of Kasumi's outfit.

"Her outfit is meant to distract male opponents using her sex appeal as a weapon. It's not unheard of for a Kunoichi to employ such tactics, especially when history has recorded how effective such tactics have seen."

"So I guess the term 'looks could kill,' came from those people right?"

Kokoro shrugged her shoulders, "maybe, but your guess is as good as mines."

* * *

Back at the stadium Lelouch had silently observed the battle, and a part of him was both glad Kasumi had won and at the same time he wasn't. He had known how formidable Gen Fu was thanks to his observations combined with the demonstration video he had gotten to watch before disembarking the ship, which he combined together to get a better grasp of both Gen Fu's skill and experience while fighting. Kasumi on the other hand was inexperienced yet had both the endurance and speed of youth on her side, and Lelouch knew to a degree the kind of training the shinobi of her clan endured though so the young man knew it would come down to the wire.

Of course having watched Kasumi fight, he now had a better grasp on the young woman's skills and what to expect when he faced her in battle.

 _I am not looking forward to fighting you, but I can't ignore the possibility._

Lelouch didn't want Kasumi to win if only to spare her from not only the danger of facing Raidou would bring, but he feared what would happen to her should she somehow defeat him. What Fame had told him about Donovan's growing interest in Kasumi's clan had left Lelouch deeply concerned coupled with the alterations preformed on Raidou.

Taking a calming breath Lelouch knew there wasn't much he could do at this point until his time came to face either her or Ayane in battle, but his match would be against someone else. He was thankful Ryu wasn't his first opponent, but this was an excellent opportunity for him to see him fight a foe he had hoped would give the super ninja a challenge so he could get a better grasp of his fighting style and his personality was during a battle to find any potential advantages he could exploit.

In the meantime Lelouch could only wait until his turn came.

* * *

A/N: the first round of the tournament is over with Kasumi victorious and next will be Ryu vs Jann, and the match ups for the first set of fights have been decided.

Pairings we got that decided and taken care of, but remember I do have other reasons for my choices.

Thank you in advance your reviews and feedback.


End file.
